NHTSA tests its vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) infrastructure in Michigan

The National Highway Traffic & Safety Administration has recently tested its vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) infrastructure along almost 73 lane-miles of road in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The latest V2V test is easily the biggest and most public so far in its history. The NHTSA has tried to execute V2V information networks in the past but these were conducted in small demonstration areas, usually restricted to sections of an automaker’s test facility.

This project was made in partnership with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) worth $22 million. They plan to eventually deploy V2V equipment into about 2800 to 3000 vehicles, which will include a variety of vehicles like passenger cars, transit buses, trucks, etc.

Jim Sayer, associate research scientist at UMTRI, said that this is considered a “game changer” for the transportation industry. He said that there are numerous applications from this project that may increase safety and convenience as well as raise mobility and sustainability. These technological advancements are mostly dependent on advanced, short-distance Wi-Fi-based communication networks.

Theoretically, V2V-equipped vehicles offer benefits in both safety and efficiency. When the V2V and V2I networks operate, they could potentially give warnings to drivers in other V2V-equipped cars about various situations like traffic jams, cars running red lights, emergency braking situations, and sluggish traffic around a blind corner.

In addition, the system may also notify cars about upcoming signal changes, permitting drivers to make adjustments to their speeds so that they could avoid very long idling at red lights.